All-Star Summit Experience?

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If your at the level of taking AP classes then I’m sure you already have the choice of most universities so enjoy the experiences you can have while you can still have them because one day your 22 sitting on fierceboard wishing you could get it all back!

I understand your points completely - and agree - which is why my student athlete gets to travel through out the year. BUT at least where we live AP exams are common and in no way set you apart they are now expected and commonplace for any college track student - choice of university is not the case in our area at all. Also cheer is not considered an excused absence and schools in our area are not required to allow rescheduling. Moving Summit back would help but then it would mean the same of Worlds. If this is a sport of youth and teens then the organization has to start realizing academics matter and they need to start getting creative in how to make this work better. I don't have the answers but I feel moving it back is a start.

Agreed. The weekends fall right at a bad time for almost everyone with the end of school years and exams and should be moved a few weeks and that would solve so many dilemmas for parents and students. I don’t know how the college kids on worlds teams manage with finals week being that week for 90% of universities! And I know in my statement that not everywhere is like My area in Ohio and aren’t the universities I was looking into. I know my experience won’t be like everyone’s and it also just goes as a blanket statement for school in general and not just The AP scenario. I just hope it can give some people a bit of a different thought about things if they would like to consider it if it applied! Because I know my mom struggled with some of the same decisions as did I, because I was the first one in my family to have to balance a sport as demanding as ours as well as being and student trying to get into a good university with a good scholarship.
 
Yeah. That is truancy territory in some states. If you're a senior it's AP Exam season as well and close-ish to finals.

I feel like only virtual/homeschool people can really get away with staying in Orlando that long. And even then you still need to be doing school during the week (because online still has assignments/classes/work/due dates.)

Unless you're one of those people who lies to school and tells attendance you have a medical appt./funeral. That only works for a few days (and also an entirely different thread/topic.)

I always find it so weird that there is a mandated amount of days you can miss for school in the states... I was always at about 15-20 total absences by the end of the year and never heard one thing about it
 
I always find it so weird that there is a mandated amount of days you can miss for school in the states... I was always at about 15-20 total absences by the end of the year and never heard one thing about it
Some districts/states are better than others. CP's has 12 allowed per semester but everything except a school activity and two college visits counts towards it. Even with doctor's appointments and illness, that's a lot of days.

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I always find it so weird that there is a mandated amount of days you can miss for school in the states... I was always at about 15-20 total absences by the end of the year and never heard one thing about it

It's because schools lose funding from the state for any students after they exceed (I believe) 15 absences in a semester (the US has a really twisted view of education funding and will literally take it away for any reason). So if a student exceeds 10, the school gets involved to try and prevent the funding from going away before they hit that 15. At least that's the case in Arizona, but I'm fairly positive it's consistent across the country as well.
 
It's because schools lose funding from the state for any students after they exceed (I believe) 15 absences in a semester (the US has a really twisted view of education funding and will literally take it away for any reason). So if a student exceeds 10, the school gets involved to try and prevent the funding from going away before they hit that 15. At least that's the case in Arizona, but I'm fairly positive it's consistent across the country as well.

WHAT?!? They take away funding from the public school system for things they can't prevent?? Oh man...
I missed 64 days of school in grade 11 because I had ACL reconstructive surgery - between pre-op appointments, the actual surgery, recovery and physiotherapy it was inevitable.
I also just took days off to have fun - my parents were big believers in the fact that you can't learn if you're burnt out.

Cheer on a high travel team must be almost impossible then? What does the school actually do if you took the 2 weeks off for summit and worlds?
 
Cheer on a high travel team must be almost impossible then? What does the school actually do if you took the 2 weeks off for summit and worlds?

Depending on your state, high schoolers would not get credit for any of those courses. So basically automatic fail. Unless there is a medical issue or serious reason you missed 2 weeks.
 
My kid got unexcused absences for time off for Summit (3 days) . Zeros' for any work done during that day.
 
My CP's 2 days off for Summit were approved by the principal. She's still in elementary school, maybe it's easier there.
 
My CP's 2 days off for Summit were approved by the principal. She's still in elementary school, maybe it's easier there.

Elementary and even to some extent middle are a little more flexible unless you are someone who is clearly out all the time for nonessential stuff.
 
As someone who works in schools I just tell people to BE SMART, SAVE YOUR ABSENCES, AND TRY TO GET THE WORK EARLY OR TAKE THE EXAM EARLY (IF POSSIBLE - I know APs have to be given on the date.)

I really can't think of one teacher in the building I work in who would not give a kid the homework early, let them take the Unit test early, etc. if asked in advance. However, if you tell someone on WED that you need to take the Chem exam early and you leave for Summit next day, people are a little less accommodating.

What I mean by be smart and save up is if you KNOW your kid is going to Summit, Worlds, big pageant, weeklong dance event, etc. and is going to need like 3 days out and you only have 4 available - don't be that parent who lets their kid take a whole day in Oct for an 8 am dentist appt, or a whole day in Feb to go out of state prom dress shopping, then complain that school is giving you a hard time about missing for a big event in April. Things like Summit don't just sneak up on you and you have likely had the dates for awhile. You have to plan for it.

I overhear the attendance ladies all the time going at it with Billy's mom because Billy has a big elite baseball tournament that they've known about for 8 months, but he also took 4 days in November to go on vacation and he has no more days to miss. Is it hard for your life to have to sort of revolve around the school schedule? Sure. But it's life.
 
I didn't think the absences were going to be big deal since CP has only missed 2 other full days of school and those were unavoidable sleep in bed all day illnesses. And she is a straight A student in high school. But it seems that I may be wrong and we are going to have to deal with the consequences. In our house, when cheer starts affecting academics then cheer has to go.

However, I know of one gym within driving distance that offers half year prep teams and advertises them as a good option for high school cheerleaders once their season is over. CP is an older age/lower level cheerleader anyway. We don't need a Level 4 team. It's definitely an option I am willing to explore.
 
WHAT?!? They take away funding from the public school system for things they can't prevent?? Oh man...
I missed 64 days of school in grade 11 because I had ACL reconstructive surgery - between pre-op appointments, the actual surgery, recovery and physiotherapy it was inevitable.
I also just took days off to have fun - my parents were big believers in the fact that you can't learn if you're burnt out.

Cheer on a high travel team must be almost impossible then? What does the school actually do if you took the 2 weeks off for summit and worlds?

Like I said, education funding isn't exactly well thought out in this country... I do know that if you have an illness or need surgery or something along those lines, you can fill out some paperwork and those absences don't count towards the total before the school loses funding, so they don't count them towards your absence limit. These are supposed to be used for kids with chronic illness, cancer, or other illnesses that are documented by a doctor and cannot be controlled, but most of the time they'll approve them if you have your apendix burst or some other sort of emergency.

I do agree with what @oncecoolcoachnowmom said though, especially as a teacher. You know so far in advance what dates you're going to have to miss for cheer, so don't miss days for other vacations - plans those around school breaks instead. I started at a new school this year and only had 8 absences I was able to take off. I used 4 for summit, 2 for illnesses, and 2 for Indianapolis, our only comp we had to fly to. All other comps within driving distance (6 or fewer hours), so I just left after school on Friday to drive out and drove home Sunday night after awards. It was highly unpleasant, but doable.
 
^^^^Yes. Sometimes saving your absences for important things means:

*Leaving right after school on Friday to drive to that comp instead of letting them miss the whole Friday.
*Getting home from a comp at midnight or 1am on Monday and still going to school at 6am.
*Not taking an extra day at the parks for Disney comps, or an extra beach day for beach ones.
*Going to school when you sometimes do not feel well (Not talking serious illnesses but those days when your kiddo is kind of sick but not fever/vomit, but has a cold and is sort of sick, and you let them stay home knowing that they porbably could have toughed it out. When you need every day you have, you have to get comfortable asking "Are you throwing up or fever?")
 
Some districts/states are better than others. CP's has 12 allowed per semester but everything except a school activity and two college visits counts towards it. Even with doctor's appointments and illness, that's a lot of days.

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Mine was the same in high school, except it was 8. It was rough. Even doctors excuses didn't do anything except save you when the truancy folks came calling.
 
I did not allow my girls to go to the Red Sox World Series parade in the fall nor the Patriots Superbowl parade in February as they have to miss too many days for cheer. Mean mom right here! And since we're from Boston, I'm not too worried that these are "once in a lifetime" opportunities.
 
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